I might need to be near you
by Geibaby37
Summary: Jim is now on his second trip, this time to a planet called Earth. He finds out the people he stems from live on this planet and that a few of them left the planet secretly a couple hundred years ago. Now the planet is under attack from foreigners because it has something, a species they want and Jim soon finds out the young and beautiful princess Melody is in GRAVE danger...
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Jim swept his blanket aside and pushed himself to his feet. He slumped over to his window, drew the curtains and opened it. The salty air filled his lungs and he took a deep breath through the nose. He watched the sunrise reflecting on the breaking waves of the sea. He looked at the sand, which turned a darker shade where the waves crashed over it. He watched as the water went back to make room for a new wave and the foam that stayed on the sand for a few moments, before it vanished and the longing started to grow in him once again.

He had not been out of the Ben Bow for months. It was his home and it was peaceful now and actually all he had ever known. All he had ever needed. But after all he had seen, all he had lived through, all the places he had been, people he had met – it seemed like this was simply no longer enough. He wanted more than anything to get out there again. Feel the adrenaline, the wind in his hair. Why, even mopping the deck of a ship was better than washing and serving dishes day in and day out.

"Jim! Hurry up, we open in quarter of an hour!", his mother called.

Jim sighed and closed his window again. It was no use. His mother would never let him leave her sight again – ever.

"Good, there you are, we have a family here, they want two average and two kids' sized breakfast menus, one with extra Morcus plant juice on the side.

Jim wrinkled his nose in disgust and strolled over to the kitchen. He gave Ben, his slightly dysfunctional robot friend the order and then went to grab himself a plum for breakfast. He was just about to bite into it, when it wiggled and suddenly formed into a small, goey, violet being with two big eyes, cackling. Jim rolled his eyes. "Morph!" The small blob quickly morphed into a smaller version of Jim, imitating him in a high-pitched voice: "Morph!"

Jim grabbed his clone and tossed him aside, shaking his head. "Not this early, please!"

He grabbed another fruit and then exited the kitchen, with his small friend never leaving his side.

He sat down at a small table in a corner, putting his feet on the wooden surface and took his first bite.

Suddenly he heard some giggling from the side. He didn't move his head, but simply glanced to where the noise came from. Two alien girls with pale blue skin, black eyes and greyish horns were looking at him, with their heads together, smiling and whispering. Morph began imitating them.

Jim turned his eyes to his food again and tried to block them out. He got this every day. It was another reason why he would rather be somewhere else.

"Jim! Get over here, young man!", he heard Sarah shouting.

He slipped his feet off the table, threw the last piece of plum in the air and then caught it in his mouth. He heard the girls at the next table sighing in awe, but he simply ignored them. He got up and made his way to the kitchen.

"Good, that's where you are, now come on, get your apron on and serve some customers!", his mother greeted him.

"Good morning to you too, mom.", he said ironically and wrapped the apron around his waist, grabbing the small scribbling note pad.

"Oh, I'm sorry, dear.", she said and grabbed his face in both hands, giving him a kiss on the head. "Good morning.", she said smiling and ruffling his hair.

"Whatever.", he replied, but smiled. His relationship to his mother had gotten so much better – did he really want to risk it by asking her such a trivial question as what he had in mind? He didn't know.

He left the kitchen and looked around for people who were waiting to give their order. He looked around desperately, but the only table that remained that needed waiting on was the one with the two giggling girls sitting at it.

He sighed, took a deep breath and slumped over to them.

"Have you...decided yet?" They immediately started giggling and one of them winked at the other, who blushed. Jim rolled his eyes and felt awkward, just standing there.

"Erm...we...we would like...something hot.", the blushing one said and the other cackled.

"Well, we don't serve hot dishes this early, just a soup.", he answered bluntly.

"Okay, we'll have that.", she said.

"Great.", he replied and turned away. She called something after him, but he pretended he hadn't heard her.

He pushed open the kitchen door. "Phew!"

"Hard work, ey?", Ben asked.

"You could say that.", Jim said. He looked back through the small window in the door and saw the girls enjoying themselves with little Morph.

"Honestly, that little guy sucks up attention like a sponge.", he moaned.

"Indeed. Why don't you do the same? You're practically bathing in it."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "No thanks."

Ben laughed. "So what's the order?"

"They wanted something _hot_.", he said, mimicking their giggling voices.

"Aww, the soup then.", Ben said.

"Yeah.", Jim said monotone and turned around again, to wait on some of the other customers.

Five minutes later, when he had just served the family with the breakfast menus, Ben called to tell him the soups were ready.

Jim grabbed the bowls, balancing them and three piles of dirty dishes on his arms and head. He places them on the table and turned to leave when one of the girls said: "That looks really impressing." This time he couldn't pretend he hadn't heard and he couldn't be rude, since his mother was watching him. So he turned a bit and said: "Thanks." He regretted it right the next second, when they both started giggling and whispering again.

He rolled his eyes and was just about to stomp off to the kitchens, when she got up and grabbed him by his free arm. "Come and sit with us!"

He looked to the kitchen frantically and caught Ben looking over. He urged him for help with his eyes, but Ben simply shrugged.

Jim bit his lip and slowly sat down on the free chair, which he placed a bit further away from the table.

"I should really get back to the kitchen."

"You're so anxious to work, how cute."

He was screaming inwardly and shook his head. "Not at all, actually.", he said, as calmly as possible.

"Oh...so is there something you'd rather be doing?", she asked and leaned forward a bit.

He looked at her and frowned. "Yes.", he said and leaned forward.

Her eyes widened, but then he got up, pushed his chair in it's place, turned and walked away. "But I'm not going anywhere.", he said coldly, not even looking at the girls.

He asked Sarah to get the bill for that table until they left and then continued his work with a much glummer-looking face than before.

* * *

The soft sound of violins awakened Melody out of her sleep. She was tired, she hadn't fallen asleep until very late last night.

Her first maid Katelyn stood ready and waiting with a fresh and silky dress over her arm. Melody gave a deep sigh on the inside and got up.

"Morning, princess. Beautiful day today.", Katelyn said.

"Isn't it always?", Melody asked and tried her best to smile. 'Just get through another day, Mel.', she told herself, biting her lips.

She got dressed, brushed her hair and made her way down the staircase to join her parents at the dining table.

"Good morning, sweety.", Ariel said to her daughter.

"You look pretty today, Melody.", her father said and beamed at her.

Melody sat down and started eating. Sure, right now they were sweet and friendly and loving, but later the scolding and the pressuring would start, she knew it. It always did.

The ball yesterday had landed her with two weeks of grounding. She was not allowed anywhere near the sea. It was the only proper punishment her parents could give her.

"Oh, Mel, are you still angry at us for yesterday? Listen, we had to do it, your behaviour yesterday was just not okay. I hope you understand.", her father said.

Melody remained silent. Yeah, she understood perfectly fine. But her parents did not. They didn't understand anything. Not even their own daughter.

"Mel...look, we'll shorten your punishment. Just one week, okay?", her mother told her.

Melody felt like bursting. There was so much inside her, her heart wouldn't be able to hold it back forever. All she wanted was to do everything everyone else could not. Or _did_ not.

She looked up at her mother, then turned to her father and beamed. "Thanks, mom...dad...", she said and got up to hug them.

After she had finished breakfast and the conversation about how a princess should always sleep long, to have enough energy to master her duties the next day, Melody got up. She wanted to go to her room, read a book or play a game she invented herself, when her mother grabbed her by the arm. "Darling, you have your music practice today and he'll be throwing in an extra dance class today, so it'll take a little longer than usual, so..."

Melody stopped herself from rolling her eyes and nodded. 'So don't plan anything for today.', she finished Ariel's sentence in her head.

The lessons were the usual boring they always were. He taught her the proper stride of royalty, which he started off with every day, by piling books on her head and putting foot long high heels on her feet. She kept tumbling over, once quite violently, so he began with her speech.

"No, no, loud! Speak up, child!", Frederico ordered.

"I AM HAPPY TO WELCOME YOU ALL TO THIS DANCE FESTIVAL HELD AT OUR CASTLE! I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOURSELF AND DO TRY SOME OF OUR DELECTABLE WINES!"

Frederico shakes his head and sighs. "Too loud, you silly girl, you need more grace and strength in your voice, you're holding a speech, not starting an argument!"

Melody huffed. She would never get this stuff. She stood still for a minute, breathed out and turned off everything. All her thoughts, all her wishes and daydreams. Anything that distracted her. She blocked out who she was and what she liked doing and everything and everyone she loved. And when Frederic next asked her to speak, her voice was clear, echoing and majestic. Flawless.

He clapped and wanted her to repeat her stride "because she was now focused". Melody concentrated only on balancing the three books on top of her head and striding forward. She looked elegant and graceful and royal. But she didn't feel good at all.

Hours passed and Melody blocked out everything that tried to sneak up on her. Like a cheeky thought or a passing servant.

Until the instrument lesson began. He handed her her fiddle and started directing. "Okay, A...A...C! Melody, focus!"

So she did. She played the whole piece. The melody clung in her ears and without knowing, she started rocking her head to the music. The sound was all around her, surrounding her. She was not the master of it, it was hers. And it was gorgeous. Her soft voice started humming to the rythm and soon she started "lala"ing along. There was no way to stop it, it was too overwhelming.

"Melody."

The pace quickened and she found her whole body moving to the sound.

"Melody.", Frederico's voice ordered more impatiently, but Melody could hardly even hear him. Her ears were full.

She sang louder and stronger and it felt so great. The whole day had been so tiring. The way she had to swallow everything, block out everything that made her who she was, for it was the only way to be what everyone wanted her to be. Perfect.

"Melody! Stop singing! Just play, child! No singing, princesses don't-"

Melody got up and tossed her instrument to the side. Her teacher gasped in horror.

"Thank you for the help with being someone I'm not.", she said without looking at him. Then she turned and strode out of the room. Gracefully and elegant – just like it was fit for a princess.

* * *

Jim closed the door behind the last customer and turned the sign from open to closed.

"Good work today, Jim. Thanks for helping so much.", his mother said.

"Yeah. Lot of customers."

"I know, isn't it great?"

Jim didn't answer. He swept up the last part of the room and then put the broom in the cupboard again. He knew he couldn't delay it forever. He realized today that this is just not what he wants from life. There was a whole galaxy to explore out there and he was continuously cooped up in some inn. He knew how much it meant to his mother and his mother meant everything to him, but he just needed to go his own path.

"Mom...I've been thinking. This...I mean the Belbow...I don't...this just..."

"Jim, what are you trying to say?", Sarah asked, suddenly serious.

"Look, I know you love it here and that you're happy with this life, but...it's just not enough for me. I would really love to get out there again, see the world! See the galaxy!"

Sarah swallowed. Jim sounded just like his father right now. She was never enough for him either. He needed more, much more. He left and now Jim wanted to leave too.

"Mom, I need to do this. Get into a crew and on a ship again! I miss it so much, I want to get out there again! Feel the life!"

"_James_ Pleiades Hawkins...", Sarah started, frowning at him. "You know how worried I get about you!"

"Yes, I know. But Mom..."

"And a trip like that...you never know what to expect! Pirates, unexplored planets, accidents...it's space, not a playground!"

"I understand, but..."

"You sound like a little child who can't wait to do something reckless! You aren't thinking of any consequences!"

"But I..."

"However", Sarah continued. "I always knew this would happen. You're not the kind to settle down and wait tables for the rest of your life. Though sometimes I really wish you were, you never will be. And I know you have dreams and wishes...and needs."

Jim looked at his mother, his eyes widening slowly. Was she...?

"So...I want you to go. I want you to get out there and live life...just the way you want to." Sarah's eyes filled with tears and Jim laughed in joyful disbelief.

"Are you serious?"

"If you promise to send me messages _daily. _And don't you dare not visit, mister."

Jim could hardly contain himself. He let out a whoot and then ran to hug his mother.

"I love you, mom. I promise I'll visit all the time. This will always be home."

"Oh, Jimmy...", Sarah smiled and tears rolled down her cheeks as she hugged him tightly and ruffled his hair. "I love you too."

* * *

There was a knock on the door. Melody hid her bag with seashells and other beautiful treasures under her bed, just in case her parents felt like punishing her again.

Ariel opened the door cautiously and peeped her head in. "Melody?" She spotted her and sat down on the edge of her bed.

"I heard about what happened today.", her mother said calmly. Melody didn't say anything. "Frederico was very angry. You can't always be so rude, Mel."

"Oh, but the servant can?! In case you hadn't noticed, he's not Jesus himself either!"

"I understand, but that's just the way teachers are. You still have to respect him, even if you are a princess."

"Oh, don't turn it that way, don't pretend I'm some royal spoilt brat who thinks she owns the world, you know it's not true."

"I never said that, Melody!"

"But you meant it."

Ariel sighs. "You are fifteen now, when will you stop acting like a child?"

"Why should I? Were you planning on marrying me off any time soon?"

"Of course not! Mel, please don't be like this! I'm really trying to help!" Suddenly Melody felt the guilty conscience creeping up on her. Her mother was always there for her, how could she be so mean to her?

"I'm sorry, mum. I'm just having a bad day...a bad week...a bad month."

"A bad life?", Ariel asked, eyebrows raised in understanding.

"Well..."

"It's normal to think that way at your age, Mel. Just know we all want the best for you."

Melody sighed on the inside. She couldn't tell her mother that the only way she could be the perfect princess was to turn off everything she was and that she was scared of losing herself. That it was the only reason for her to cling on to childish behaviour so desperately. She couldn't tell her, because she didn't want to make everything more complicated.

Ariel kissed her daughter's forehead. "Look forward to the day after tomorrow. The next ball will take place at our palace this time. This time you'll look even prettier and we'll train extra hard, okay? You will be the perfect, charming princess you want to be."

'But that's not who I want to be at all!', Melody thought to herself, but nodded at her mother.

"Thanks mum. I love you."

Ariel got up and smiled. "I love you too."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Jim couldn't sleep. His ship left this afternoon. Ben had insisted on joining him and Jim even felt glad, since he would have felt quite lonely going on a trip like this all on his own.

He was hired just yesterday, coincidentally, as he was looking for a ship he could get a job on. The offer hadn't been perfect, but enough for him. This was the first time he had been hired as a ship hand. On his last adventure, he had been the one hiring. The man who offered him the job hadn't included many details as to what exactly the purpose of this journey was, but he had told him his duties, their destination and a bit about the planet they were heading out to. It was called "Earth", which was extremely ironic, since most of it was covered in water, the man had told him. Jim didn't like that he left out so many details of the trip and their business on this harmless planet, but he looked very respectable, not like a pirate or someone fresh from the black market, so Jim had agreed.

The guy had mentioned something else, something Jim thought was extremely interesting. He had told him that "Earth" was Jim's home planet. At first, Jim found this hard to believe, but the man then explained that his breed had first descended from this planet a couple hundred years ago, by an accident that happened when people from another planet first arrived there. He told Jim that the people that had left the planet had spread all over the galaxy, making what they called different colonies. He also mentioned that the humans that had remained on Earth had developed much slower than the people who had left and that they were quite behind on everything. According to the man he had met yesterday, the humans on Earth hadn't even discovered electricity yet.

All that talk made Jim even more excited. He was enthusiastic about meeting his people, the people his mother and his father and him all stemmed from. Humans.

Morph was fluttering about next to his head and Jim smirked at him. "Morph, I get the feeling this is going to be the most exciting trip I have ever made." Morph flew around his head, squeaking excitedly. Jim carried on staring at his ceiling, imagining what people on Earth would be like. Would they talk differently than he did? Would they look a little different maybe? Did they have special abilities? Evolution could have done almost anything in such a long period of time. Maybe they looked nothing like him anymore, though he was pretty much used to that.

He imagined and fantasized for hours on end, until his eyelids got heavy and his thoughts slowly started forming into an adventurous dream as he finally closed his eyes and fell asleep.

* * *

Tomorrow the ball would take place…Melody lay awake in her bed. The day had been terrible once again. Her mother was angry at her for slipping away before her lessons started. She had missed most of it, but had eventually been caught by one of the guards, who had brought her back to her parents.

Melody had spent the next hour with Frederico, who had gone extra hard on her, with absolutely no remorse.

They all wanted her to be this sophisticated, graceful, well-mannered and quiet something that she simply wasn't. She was a bubbly, friendly, liberal girl. Maybe a little irresponsible, but she was funny and had a generally curious nature. And she just wished her mother wouldn't always try to change that. She just wished her mother could understand. She supported her with everything she wanted to do, but she just couldn't let her be who she really was, she was just too much of a queen to do that.

Melody's eyes filled with tears. What if they ever got her to forget who she really was? She felt like she was slowly being brainwashed. With every day, she lost a little more of her faith. She couldn't go on living like this forever. Or else they might succeed in breaking her spirit. Breaking her will.

Melody put her hands over her face and sobbed silently. There was a lump in her throat and she felt as alone as ever. She didn't want to go to that stupid ball and make a fool of herself. She hated public events like this one. She hated the dancing, the fake chuckling, the expectations and the stupid posh people who thought themselves better than anything else in the entire universe. Melody had a vivid and flowing imagination and sometimes she couldn't help thinking that they truly meant nothing. That humans were only blinded by their own arrogance and pride to see that they were only a small part of something that was actually much bigger. And she resented them for it.

Her grandfather and she had come to an agreement. Whenever she opened the locket underwater, he told her, her human legs would be replaced by a peach fishtail. She would turn from being a normal, boring princess to being a proud and lively young mermaid. She loved the feeling of transforming into one and hated when she had to change back. She still loved the sea more than anything else and wished sometimes she could leave all this behind and simply flee to Atlantica and never look back. But she couldn't. Invisible chains kept her here and even when they loosened for a moment to let her feel free and careless and alive…they would always pull her back into place sooner or later. The thought hurt Melody. She knew she would never escape them.

And so, the young princess lay on her bed, hands covering her face and tears running down the sides of it. Her sobs weren't heard by anyone and she felt alone and continued to cry and sob and sniff until her headache finally forced her to sleep.

* * *

The day went by slowly. Jim had packed all he had in a big bag and it was only 11 am. He helped downstairs at the inn. The people heard about the news and a few regular costumers said Goodbye or wished him luck. The girls that had heard the bad news sat around moping, some pretended that they were friends with Jim, treating him as though they knew him better than anyone else, though Jim couldn't even remember half of their names.

A few people from his school came by, a couple of friends and classmates. Jim had gotten a lot more popular ever since the news spread that he had been to Treasure Island. But that could never be enough reason for Jim to stay.

So after what seemed like a decade to him, he finally called their fare to take him and Ben and Morph to the Space Port, where they would board their ship.

As the fare arrived outside the door, Jim hugged his mother tightly and whispered Goodbye. She cried a little and kissed him on the cheek.

"I'll be back, mom.", he told her. "I promise."

"I know.", she answered and smiled at him proudly. "And I'll be right here waiting."

He waved until the Ben Bow finally disappeared from sight and then slumped down next to Ben.

"This is going to be amazing!", he cried, grinning widely.

"Look at you, Jimmy, getting all excited."

"I can't help it, it just feels so good to finally get out there again! I love my mom, but let's face it, the Ben Bow inn was never going to be enough for me! I need to get out there again, set the sails and soar through the air, feel some danger, fight some pirates, find some treasures…"

"Feel, fight, find…sounds good enough for me, Jimmy!", Ben said and looked as excited as a robot possibly can.

When they arrived there, Jim felt so excited his heart started leaping. He made his way across the crowd, Ben scattering after him, trying to keep up. He found their ship in no time and Jim was quite impressed. It was sure as hell not the R.I.S. Legacy, it was much bigger and the wood was darker. The ship had a kind of look to it that Jim felt was hard to describe. It didn't look at all glum, which should have been expected because of the dark wood and the way it stood in the shadows. No, it looked more like a war ship. A serious, respected aura in the air surrounding it.

Jim took a step closer and even Morph was silent for a moment, before letting out an impressed squeak. They all boarded minutes later and Jim noticed the crew was nearly all humans. They looked jollier than on the R.I.S., but also determined in a way. Prepared to give it their all. Though maybe it just seemed like such an extreme difference because the crew he had known before had all turned out to be pirates, traitors.

A few of them nodded their heads towards him in a friendly manner, some others didn't react to him at all. Only one turned and grinned. "Welcome aboard, kitchen boy!", he laughed and saluted him. Jim grinned back. Yes, working in the kitchen was part of the job he had been assigned, but he was anxious to find out more about this sail's purpose.

He was just about to ask the boy why he knew who he was, when a loud voice interrupted him and Jim turned around to see who it was. He immediately recognized the man he had met a few days ago and standing next to him, looking around the ship with a stern look was a tall, slim figured creature with what looked like a black beard, but was actually a lump of flesh. His eyes were gleaming in a bluish light and his fingers were thin, with sharp black fingernails. He wore a blue captain's uniform and black trousers.

"I gladly welcome you all aboard on this ship, the GG, short for Galactic Glory." Jim saw the boy from earlier chuckle in ridicule.

"From now on, you must work harder than ever before. Most of you have come here unaware of most of our actual mission and it shall stay that way, though we shall later have a crew meeting where we fill you in on the most important blank spots."

Jim sighed and shook his head. "I can't believe they'd be keeping stuff from us like that!", he muttered to Morph.

"Now carry on with your work, we are preparing to set sails in ten minutes!", the captain shouted and then backed away and out of sight.

"Come on then, Hawkins! Help me over here!", a voice called out. Jim recognized the voice to be the one of the boy from earlier. He turned around and made his way towards him, Ben close by his side.

"How do you know who I am?", he asked, untying the ropes.

"Daniel Dunkin, pleased to meet you. My dad's the first officer. He's the guy who hired you. Who hired everyone."

"So, does that mean you know more than the rest of us about what the hell we are doing on a meaningless little planet like that?"

"Maybe…", he said, shrugging, but he grinned at Jim. "I only heard it's a kind of preparation for war."

"With earth? Why the hell would we do that?"

"Not us, silly. Another planet, right at the other end of the galaxy. There's been some rumours they want something special, something only earth has. I think it's a kind of specimen, but I'm not sure."

"So they have something that those guys want to steal, so they want to make war with them. And what do we have to do with that?"

"Oh, don't be daft. Christ, it's a moral obligation! You do know we stem from them, right? The least we can do is offer them protection."

Jim shrugged. He wondered if that was really the only reason. "So we're an army?"

The boy laughed loudly. "Have you looked in the mirror lately? As if! We're just the group that's being sent first. Most of us will be used as spies to find out more about what we're even protecting."

'I knew it.', Jim thought. 'Protection my ass, they want to find out if whatever those guys want from Earth is of any value to us!'

Suddenly he heard a voice shouting. "Prepare to set sails, everyone!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

„Darling, I've just received news of a ship that shall be docking here tomorrow. They have not told us about their intentions here yet, but the letter I've received made a most admirable impression."

"Are you sure it's a good idea, my dear? They might be dangerous."

"I don't believe that, Ariel, their ship isn't large enough for them to be a threat to us. Even so, I shall see to it the guards are ready and alert."

Melody could hear her mother and father talking through the door. How naïve her father was. Simply letting a strange ship dock here because it wasn't big? It seemed he looked at it all so light-minded. He only judged by size, whatever wasn't big was no threat to him. Melody knew it was foolish.

She sighed and got up, walking over to the balcony. Tomorrow already, huh? She leaned on the railing and looked down at the waves breaking beneath her. Why would they be docking here of all places? Where did they come from? Melody felt a pinch of jealousy. All those people who could travel all over the world just like that. From place to place, like gypsies. Just with the sea always near. She wished she could live like that.

It was late afternoon now…her classes would start soon. Her first maid had already showed her her dress for tomorrow and Melody had to say it looked beautiful. Cream, with golden lines around her chest cut and all down her frock, sparkling.

Her hair was often braided down the side, as it would be tomorrow. She imagined what she would look like. Like a princess. And many men would ask her to dance, she knew that too. But when they bowed to her, they weren't asking to dance with Melody, they were asking to dance with the princess. She knew that and it hurt her. Nobody would like her if they knew who she really was.

"If I ever die, it will be from jumping off this very balcony, down into the sea. It's the only way to go…", she whispered to herself.

She closed her eyes and listened to the waves crashing below. She giggled quietly.

"Melody?", a voice said. Melody opened her eyes. On the railing next to her hands sat Sebastian, the bossy crab her grandfather still sent to check on her from time to time.

"Sebastian!", she cried, happily. "I've missed you."

He turned a bit redder than usual and grinned. "Oh, Melody…I heard there was a ball tomorrow and I didn't want you to mess it up, so I decided to take matters in my own hands."

She laughed. "I never thought I'd say this, but I'd rather have you as my mentor than that stuck-up Frederico. He doesn't want me to sing, he says…"

"What?! He doesn't let you sing?! But your voice has developed so beautifully in the past years!"

Melody blushed. "Well…I'm not as good as my mom though…"

"Of course you are! Even though you're only half mermaid, you still sing more beautifully than most others!"

"Well, I love doing it too! And now that I can't…I don't know, I feel kind of half empty…"

"Cheer up, missy! You'll get your chance, you always do! Try and look forward to tomorrow. Just smile, look pretty and have fun."

She smiled weakly. "I'll try. Thanks for showing up."

* * *

When the sails opened up and the ship first rose into the air, Jim's heartbeat increased. He was really doing it. He was really going out there again. "So, Danny, you get around a lot?"

"I wish! No, this is like my third trip or something…you?"

"My second.", Jim said with a smile.

"Hey, stop your chit chat and start working!", Daniel's father shouted.

"Aye, aye!", Daniel shouted back. "Come on, Jim, the lifeboats need securing!"

Jim rushed over to help. Turning around, he called to Ben: "Ben, you should probably get out of the way, they'll run you over!"

"Roger that, Jimmy! I'll be in the kitchen!", he yelled back, taking off.

Morph was fluttering around his head excitedly.

"I've gotta ask you about that thing later.", Daniel called, laughing. Suddenly Jim felt himself being lifted into the air. He grinned at the well-known feeling of floating.

"Activate artificial gravity!", he heard the captain shout and the next thing he knew he was on the floor, laughing with Danny.

"Prepare for take-off in ten, nine, eight, seven…"

"I've been waiting for what feels like forever to be here again! This is seriously awesome!", Jim called against the noise.

"I know!", Danny shouted back. "Nothing beats this, right?"

"Five, four…"

'Nothing in the world.', Jim thought to himself.

"Three, two, one – go!"

Jim flew backwards with brute force. This ship had even more power than the R.I.S.. Jim reckoned it was because this was a ship had a much more important and more official mission. Which he still didn't know everything about.

Danny helped Jim to his feet and they both climbed the rope ladder up to the top. "It's amazing up here, isn't it, Hawkins?", Danny asked, smirking.

"Gets me every time.", he smirked back.

And as the ship zoomed through the air, Jim felt the strong wind blowing through his hair and he breathed in and everything was just like he remembered. This was where he belonged, where he felt more at home than anywhere else.

He looked at Danny and recognized the same sparkle in his eyes.

"Oy, you two! Get down here and make yourselves useful! You, kitchen boy, off you go!"

Jim slid down, Danny following and they landed on the deck.

"And you, Dunkin, you better not get cocky with me! Just cause you're my son, that doesn't mean-"

"Seriously, when have I ever gotten special treatment?", Danny countered, annoyed and then slumped off. Jim waved and then went to find where the kitchen was located. He didn't have to search long after he was under deck, since Ben jumped out from behind one of the doors and right into Jim's arms. "Jimmy! Come this way and meet the chef!"

Jim slumped after Ben. The chef was a rather small and skinny man with greyish skin and big green eyes. He was cutting up some roots. He turned around to face Jim and said in much too deep voice: "Get hopping then!" But he said it in a kind of friendly way. "Take the mop in your own hands and lose control!" he said and cackled at his own joke.

Jim sighed and grabbed the mop and bucket, starting off on work. With all that excitement going on on deck, he had almost forgotten he was just a ship hand.

* * *

The sun had set, the darkness started to spread across the sky. Melody had fallen asleep on her balcony and was awoken by loud knocking on her door.

"Melody! Are you in here?!"

Melody jumped. The classes! She had missed them! Her mum would be so furious!

Ariel opened the door and spotted Melody immediately. "What were you thinking? Frederico waited hours!"

"He could've looked for me, I was here all the time."

"Exactly.", Ariel said angrily.

"Mom, I'm sorry, I fell asleep here, because I haven't been getting much sleep lately and I must've-"

"I am so disappointed with you, young lady, you wouldn't believe it!"

"Mom, I said I'm sorry!", Melody said, her eyes starting to get wet.

Ariel's face relaxed. She couldn't stay mad at her daughter. Not when she looked at her like that. "Oh, sweetie, I just want you to look forward to tomorrow and be confident about everything. So nothing goes wrong."

"I know, mom. But I promise, I'll do my best. I'm sure it'll be fine." But she wasn't sure at all.

"Okay, if you promise me, I can only keep my fingers crossed." She took another step towards her daughter. "You'll look beautiful, my darling."

"Thanks mom.", she replied, even though she didn't believe her mother.

"Melody, there will be a ship docking here tomorrow in the afternoon and I want you to come down to the beach and welcome them."

"I heard. Fine, I'll come down."

"Good. Now get ready for dinner, we're having it downstairs in twenty minutes." Ariel told her while making her way to the door.

"Alright.", Melody whispered.

* * *

"Settle down, people!", the captain ordered. The crew meeting was now being held under deck and everyone was gathering to listen to what the captain had to say. When the noise and commotion had finally stopped, he began.

"This ship was ordered to sail to a far away planet called Earth." He pressed a button and a 3D animation opened up before everyone's eyes, showing the planet they were heading to. "It's to over 70 % covered in water. This mission is strictly confidential, meaning most of you shall be kept purposely in the dark."

The crew started moaning and yelling in disagreement.

"Silence!", Danny's father suddenly shouted. Everyone stopped.

The captain looked around disapprovingly. "Listen, people, this mission you have been assigned to is all for the greater good and that's all that is really important. Your duty once we have arrived at our destination will be to act undercover. We know hardly anything about this mission, we were all assigned to protect the human race. You shall be assigned posts in the very castle we are docking at and also in the surrounding area. If your hear anything out of the ordinary, you shall report back to us immediately."

Jim snorted quietly. This was ridiculous! Keeping all this information from the crew! They didn't even know what they were protecting those humans from! They hardly knew anything at all!

They were sent to bed after all questions were asked and none were answered.

Jim lay down in his hammock and felt the ship swaying through the universe. It was wonderful. Most people would get sick, but not Jim. He had a stomach of steel. Jim thought of where he was this morning and where he was now and smiled to himself. Morph was resting in his pocket and Ben was above him. He wasn't exactly sleeping, he was in a standby –mode.

Soon Jim was lulled to sleep by his hammock rocking like a baby's cradle. Though he knew this peace and quiet wouldn't last forever, he still enjoyed it for the moment.

Melody closed her eyes for the hundredth time. She thought of swimming and singing in the ocean with her mother. She had opened her locket and set it on her bedside table. The music began to make her sleepy. It was so beautiful. All fantasies about tomorrow she pushed to the very back of her head. They weren't important. Not now.

Suddenly Melody felt kind of comfortable on her sheets. So light...like she was floating. She couldn't even feel herself touching them anymore. It was extraordinary and...nice.

She imagined herself floating outside on her cushions. Through the air she soared, so high. She heard the ocean underneath her and tasted the salt on her tongue. On her skin. The breeze was fresh, but she was safely hidden under her covers and warmly enjoyed the feeling of peace and quiet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

The breakfast had been quick and dry, but Jim didn't mind. He worked hard all day, sweating and panting. They were getting nearer to the sun and Jim could feel himself getting hotter. He soon decided to take his shirt off and then went on with stitching the holes in the sails. It had been a rough night and the ship had taken a bit of damage.

Jim would have never thought the milky way was such short distance away, even though they had been going all night.

"So, Danny...", he said, turning to the dark blonde boy working a few metres away. "How come nobody has ever told us anything about Earth? And the people we stem from?"

"I think we get that in school when we're older. And most people aren't necessarily proud to stem from people like them."

"Why? Most of those people have never even been to Earth!"

"Well, no, but there are some news going on. As it turns out the guys that stayed behind really, well...stayed behind. They're really stupid and simple people. They're greedy and selfish and kind of like the biggest jerks in the galaxy. Arrogant too. And violent. With each other anyway...if anybody from another planet were actually to really attack them, they'd be completely lost."

Jim laughed. "I still don't get why we're putting so much effort into protecting those guys when they don't even know we exist." But Jim knew better. Whatever the humans on Earth had that those guys from "Quarzyle" or whatever the planet was called wanted could be valuable to his people too. And that was the only reason they were making such an effort.

Suddenly they heard the captain yelling: "Prepare for complications!"

Jim turned around and realized they were heading straight for an asteroid field.

"All hands on deck!"

* * *

The afternoon had passed quickly and Melody chuckled at how silly they had looked, waiting for the ship that never came. Her father was annoyed, he felt like a fool and he hated it. But Melody thought it quite amusing.

She was forced into the tight dress when it began dawning and they braided her hair. She actually looked beautiful, her long black hair falling over her shoulder. And the dress looked amazing on her. But she didn't see it, not in the least. Katelyn had been helping her prepare, applying powder and fiddling with her hair, pushing her feet into those tight heels.

Melody insisted on wearing her locket, so she wouldn't forget who she was in between all the fake laughs and smiles.

"They will be awaiting you downstairs in half an hour." Melody had almost forgotten how much she hated those grand entrances she always got. Like she was anything special.

Katelyn left and Melody was just about to wonder if it was too late to flee into the ocean, when she heard her parents outside again.

"The guards have reported seeing a ship in the distance, heading this way.", her mother's voice said.

"Well, they're extremely late.", Eric remarked coldly, still pouting. Melody rolled her eyes at his childishness.

"Yes, but we should still greet them..."

"I'll do that, Ariel, you should talk to Melody."

Melody groaned. Did they really think she couldn't hear them through the door?

"Okay, but be careful to take enough guards.", Ariel said to her husband and Melody heard footsteps leading away from her door. The next moment Ariel knocked and opened the door cautiously.

"Melody, how...oh, Melody, you look ravishing."

Melody remained silent and shrugged. Ariel closed the door and approached her daughter. "What is it? Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just...look at my chest, this dress is pushing them up to my chin!", Melody said and giggled.

"You're so silly.", her mother said, but chuckled. She sat down next to her daughter. "But you will definitely be dancing all evening tonight, be warned."

Melody looked at her mother and smiled. "Yeah, on my own."

"You wish.", Ariel laughed. Then she looked down. "I see you're wearing your locket."

"Oh, yeah, it distracts from my chest.", Melody answered and threw her mother a quick crooked smile.

"Right. Just be careful to keep it closed."

"Yes, mom.", Melody replied and gave her mother a quick hug.

* * *

Jim watched Danny's father talk to the king. He was quite young, black hair and big blue eyes.

"Well, isn't he the Prince Charming?", Danny whispered to him and cackled.

"A bit too pissed to be charming, don't you think?", Jim whispered back and winked.

The two laughed and continued to watch.

"We were ready and waiting this afternoon, it's very disrespectful to be this late.", the king said angrily.

"I understand, your majesty, but there were certain complications on the way and we couldn't make it any sooner."

Jim turned and looked at the holes and cuts in the wooden hull.

Suddenly Danny's father put his arm around the king's shoulder. "I'll offer you a deal, to show my gratitude. I offer you my ship hands as servants in your kingdom during our stay here. They are hardworking men and know what to do. Jim Hawkins over there, for example, is an excellent help in the kitchen and other duties as well."

The king looked at Jim, then at the others. "Well...we actually have a servant shortage at the time and we are holding a ball tonight, meaning they could all come in handy. I will take you up on that offer, Captain Dunkin."

They had told the king that Danny's father was the captain, seeing as he'd be quite shocked to meet the actual one.

"Grimsby! I want you to organize these boys, please, tell them their posts. Thank you, old friend."

Jim's eyes travelled to the grey-haired man who was dressed as posh and stuck-up as it is even possible and he rolled his eyes at Danny, who raised his eyebrows and shrugged.

The old man didn't look too happy either. "What posts have you been assigned to on the ship? You there!", he said to Jim.

"The captain just told you. I'm the kitchen boy."

"Good, good, one of the guards will lead you to the kitchen, where you will get your exact orders from the cook."

"Fine.", Jim said. Morph was in his pocket, but Ben was forced to stay under deck. He had been a great help earlier though.

Jim slumped after the guard and towards the castle. It was large and looked quite well-kept. There was music playing, Jim heard it as he got closer and started nodding his head along. It was actually not that different from what he knew. He still thought it fascinating to see all the humans here though.

As he got inside, he was lead across the ballroom towards the kitchen. He looked around at the dancing couples and stared in wonder.

"This is the kitchen.", the guard said bluntly and left him there. Jim shrugged and entered through the door. There were a few women running around and in the middle stood the cook. Short, slightly chubby, with black hair and a black moustache. He was a nervous wreck, running all over the place, ordering people around.

Jim watched for a moment and then walked towards him.

"Hello. My name is Jim Hawkins, I've been assigned to assist you as a kitchen help."

"Great, now get these plates out there!", the cook said and shoved two platters of dishes into Jim's arms. "Off you go!"

* * *

"Princess Melody! It's time to go!", Melody heard her first maid call. She sighed, took a deep breath and got up. She practiced her smile in the mirror again, until it seemed real and then walked to the door and closed it behind her.

'This evening will be fun, Mel.', she told herself. 'Just have some fun! Everything will be fine, it'll be done before you know it!'

Jim had been going back and forth, arranging plates, bringing napkins and filling up empty glasses. He caught a glimpse of Danny every now and then and waved, grinning. Danny waved back and pulled silly faces.

For what felt like the hundredth time, Jim walked past the crowd, smiling politely. He walked over to the buffet, put down the plates and was just about to turn back, when he heard a voice.

It was the old man. Jim looked over to him. He looked strained and agitated.

"Presenting, Princess Melody!", he called and his voice echoed through the room and Jim's mind.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Melody kept putting one foot after the other, trying to keep her balance in those high heels. Her heart was beating faster by the second. Everything about her pinched and twitched, her dress, her hair, her shoes…

'It's fine, see! Nobody's laughing!', she thought to herself and smiled sweetly at the people below. Each step brought her closer to them. She smiled even sweeter and clutched her locket. 'I'm Melody. I'm no princess, I'm Melody!', she reminded herself.

* * *

Jim was in a trance. He stared at the girl coming down the stairs. She was very young. Hardly sixteen, he guessed. He found that he couldn't move and wondered if anyone could. Her black hair, it was so…dark and…beautiful. She was a vision in a dress. He couldn't take his eyes off her. Her smile was pretty and cute and her lips were as pink as her cheeks.

As she reached the floor, he felt his heart beginning to pound. He noticed he was still staring and with much effort, finally managed to tear away his gaze to return to the kitchen, but not without turning around once more. A young man, maybe a year or two older than himself was bowing to her, offering her his hand. She took it and they began dancing.

Jim tried his best to concentrate, but for the next part of the night, he watched her dance. She was graceful, like a princess from a book. He looked through the little hole in the kitchen and couldn't stop looking at her face. Yes, it was beautiful and soft and her features were close to perfect, but still he thought he saw something more. Was it fear? Or maybe sadness? He couldn't quite tell, but she just seemed like so much more than some princess in a pretty dress…

* * *

Melody turned off her thoughts, striving for perfection. And she realized it worked. One of the men she danced with even congratulated her on how she seemed different. More elegant. Melody didn't remember dancing with him before, but he seemed to remember her from last time. She smiled at him and thanked him for the compliment.

The evening went on like that, she didn't have one minute to herself and was dancing the whole night. She soon felt extremely dizzy. She wasn't allowed to eat, because of her dress and dancing so much without eating anything made her feel slightly sick.

The night got later and once, for a moment, Melody caught a glimpse of something flying through the air, something small and…violet? But it was only for a moment and Melody blamed her lightheadedness.

After hours and hours and hours, the first guests began to leave. Her mother and father saw them off and thanked them for coming, while a young boy she had never seen before went to grab their coats.

After a while the pauses in between dancing got longer and Melody finally had a chance to sit down. She clutched her locket again and smiled to herself. This was something no one could ever take from her. She wouldn't let them.

* * *

Jim had to start scrubbing the used dishes, but he was used to it. After a while he noticed Morph had left his pocket and he sighed to himself and hoped to God they wouldn't see him, deciding to look for him later.

Jim noticed the guests were slowly but surely leaving as he gathered the rest of the dishes from the ballroom. He saw Danny at the entrance, helping all the rich people into the coats. Jim grinned and grimaced at Daniel, who stuck his tongue out at him when no one was looking.

Then Jim saw the princess sitting on a bench not far away. She was clutching her locket, her eyes closed, smiling. His first thought was that a man had given it to her. A man she loved. He didn't know in that moment that he was right, but not in the way he thought.

In the next hour, all guests had gone. Jim cleaned the rest of the dishes, which took him another half an hour and then went to find Morph, hoping nobody had seen him.

He went through the empty ballroom, where the servants and a few of the boys from the ship were sweeping and mopping. Jim carefully opened the door and strode through the empty and dark hallways. They were large, he couldn't even the ceiling, which was probably also due to the dark. "Morph.", he whispered. "Morph!" There was no sound.

* * *

Melody had resigned to her room for the day. She unbraided her hair and let it fall over her shoulders. She got out of her dress somehow and put on her white nightgown. It was slightly see-through, but she didn't notice. She was still feeling a bit dizzy. The night had been so strenuous and hard, she didn't want to just leave it at that. She wanted the last few minutes of the night to be nice. So she could go to sleep with a nice feeling in her stomach. She stood up and decided to sneak off to the library. Still clutching her locket that hung around her neck, she closed the door behind her and made her way across the dark and empty hallway.

As she reached the library, she sat down and looked out of the large window. It spread right up to the ceiling and showed a great view of the ocean and the night sky.

Suddenly she felt the need to sing a song. Just to feel like herself again. Just to show that she did things princesses didn't. She opened her mouth and began singing. With every tone, she felt better. Princesses don't sing? Well, she was singing. And by doing that, she proved to herself again that she was more than everybody knew or understood. She was Melody. Fifteen years old. A girl who loved to swim in the ocean and sing. She was a mermaid. Not a princess. And she loved it.

* * *

He wandered on, looking for Morph and whispering. Jim kind of disliked the people here. They reminded him a great deal of all the people at home. They judged everything and everyone, they were greedy and arrogant and selfish. And still Jim was excited to be here. This was a big thing. He was part of a very serious mission and he was going to do his best to...

Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted by a tone echoing through his head. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever heard. He sneaked along the hallway, trying to find out where this overwhelming sound was coming from. When he got closer, he realized it was someone singing, a girl maybe...

Jim checked every door and was now determined to find out who it was. He could understand the words now...

"You may not be a prince,  
but I still find you charming,  
you might not be knight,  
but you rescue me every day,  
and you may have no armour,  
but you're shining..."

Jim finally found the door and peaked through a crack. What he saw almost threw him off his feet. It was the princess! She was wearing nothing but her nightgown and she was sitting in the library all by herself, singing quietly. The way the moonlight shone upon her black, long hair, that was still curled from the braid she had worn earlier took Jim's breath away for a moment. Her voice...it was clear and high and echoed through the room, through his mind...truly, the most beautiful girl, er, voice in the world.

He took a step closer, when suddenly Morph appeared next to him, hovering over his shoulder excitedly. He squeaked and rubbed against his cheek.

"Ssshhh, quiet, Morph!", he hissed under his breath. But Morph was too excited he had found his friend again. He giggled with his high-pitched voice and started zooming around Jim's head. "Morph, stop it, cut it out!" Jim took another step back and tried to catch him, when he stumbled and pushed open the library doors as he fell inside the room.

* * *

Melody spun around and saw the boy lying on the floor, getting up. "Who are you? What are doing here? Were you..." She jumped up and suddenly noticed the singing had been quite hard on her head, which was already spinning. Her knees got weak and suddenly everything went black.

Jim sprang to his feet. "Oh, God!" He ran over to her and lifter her head onto his lap. "Damn it!", he muttered to himself. Morph lurked over his shoulder. Jim turned to him, looking mad. "This is all your fault, you hyperactive little blob!" Morph looked guilty and sank onto Jim's shoulder in shame.

Jim turned his attention back to the princess. "Hey. Hey, you.", he whispered. "Are you okay?" He suddenly noticed her nightgown was see-through and blushed. "Oh, damn."

He looked around and then carefully picked up the princess, trying not to look at her. He ordered Morph to follow him and carried her out and towards the kitchen.

He had seen this plenty times before. His mother used to always forget to eat and then she worked herself to the bone waiting on tables. She used to have this quite a lot.

He reached the kitchen and was glad to see it was empty. He sat her down next to a counter. "Hey.", he whispered very softly and touched her face. "Wake up, okay?"

Melody slowly began opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was a boy about her age. His face was calm and strangely soothing and she just looked at him for a moment, before asking: "Where are we?"

"In the kitchen.", he replied and shook his head. "You need to eat something, you're completely worn out."

Suddenly her memories returned to her. "Did you see me in the library?", she asked him.

"Yeah, I did. I heard you singing and then I found you there." He looked away and added: "You have a really beautiful voice."

Melody's eyes widened. "Did you just say I have a pretty voice?"

"I said beautiful, actually.", he said and grinned at her. "Why?"

"Nothing, it's just...no one has ever said that to me before..."

"What? I don't believe that, someone must have noticed it before!"

"Well, no...I don't really usually sing when people are around. Princesses shouldn't sing."

Jim stared at her. "Why not? If they're good at it..."

She looked at the boy in front of her. He was surely peculiar. And yet she liked him.

Suddenly he got up and grabbed an apple. "Here.", he said and handed it to her. "Eat this while I make you something proper to eat."

"You really don't have to-"

"I won't have you faint all over the place.", he said and started cutting up some vegetables to make a soup.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Melody watched the boy working to make her food. She stood up. "Stop it. Let me help you!"

He turned to her and smirked. "You'll have to decide between the two, your highness."

"And don't call me your highness, your majesty or anything of the sort! My name is Melody. Not Princess Melody. Just Melody."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "Jim.", he said and turned back to his work.

"You should look at me when I talk to you.", Melody complained.

"I understand, miss, but don't you think it would be a bit disrespectful? Considering your current clothing, I mean."

Melody looked puzzled and looked down, realizing in horror that her nightgown was see-through. She blushed and didn't dare look at Jim, wrapping her arms around herself.

Jim noticed she was embarrassed and then pulled off his jacket, handing it over to her. "No doubt, it's not worthy of royalty, but you should probably take it anyway.", he said blankly.

Melody grabbed the jacket and put it around her shoulders. "I still want to help you.", she said.

He turned to look at her. "Why?"

"Because I hate it when people do things for me.", she answered bluntly.

Jim chuckled. "And now ask yourself why they do it."

"Because I'm a princess.", she replied, looking slightly confused.

"Maybe…but maybe it's because you have no idea how to do it yourself.", he said and looked at her. "Or is that not the case?", he asked, already knowing the answer.

She stopped and looked at him. "Where are you from? I've never seen you before in the castle…"

"I was on the ship that arrived this evening. I'll be working in the castle for a while.", he answered, not looking at her. She was still the most beautiful creature he had ever seen and he felt that if he looked at her a bit longer, he might not be able to look away.

"So, Jim…will you teach me then? To do things for myself?"

He felt his heart starting to pump again. "Starting now?", he asked, still not looking at her.

"Yes.", he heard her say.

Suddenly Jim reached out and pulled her to him by the hand. He was right behind her now, taking her hands, guiding them. There was no sound, only the light knocking on the wood as he showed her how to chop vegetables.

Melody was blushing so hard, she couldn't move at all. Her heart beat at an amazingly fast pace. His hands felt warm…

He could smell her, she had a sweet scent. He moved her hands slowly and gently, his heart still being a burden. Morph was hiding somewhere, he reckoned, since he couldn't see him anywhere.

"Why are you moving so slowly?", she asked him. He stopped and turned her around.

"I am just respecting your position, miss."

She opened her mouth and then she understood and laughed. "That's not what I meant, you fool!"

He laughed along. "You can't just start fast, you need to have patience, learn to handle the blade, before you start hacking away at the speed of light.", he explained to her.

They continued cutting away, until Jim got out a pot, filled it with water and hung it over the fireplace. Then they sat down together.

"Now you have to tell me how it's possible that you have never sung to anyone before.", he said to her.

"Of course I have sung to people before, I used to sing all the time when I was a child. But as a princess gets older she is no longer considered a child, she is considered a young lady and has to act like one."

"I thought you acted very lady-like earlier.", Jim said.

Melody looked down. "At the ball you mean? Well that…"

"No, not at the ball. I mean earlier, in the library. When you were singing. In fact you seemed even more like a lady then than you did at the ball."

Melody turned to him. "You really think that?"

"Of course. Your voice…it was amazing. Unlike anything I've ever heard before. Almost inhuman."

Melody blushed and looked away. He was dangerously too close. "Oh, well, thank you.", she said.

He noticed her looking away and wondered if she was hiding something. "Well, it's true…", he dug deeper.

She got up suddenly. "I think the water's boiling.", she tried to distract him.

"Oh.", he just said. He got up and picked up the cut vegetables. Suddenly Melody jumped into action.

"I want to do that!", she cried excitedly and rushed over to him. She took the platter from him and pushed them in, smiling.

Jim stared at her, losing himself in her green eyes...she was still so childish in so many ways. He thought it fascinating, since from the outside, she didn't look like a child at all. Except for her face, she had a childish face.

"What now?", she asked and turned to him.

"We wait for a bit.", he replied and smiled.

"Alright.", she said and took a step towards the chairs, when she felt her knees get weak and her vision blur and the next thing she knew she was in Jim's arms.

"Are you alright?", he asked, slightly worried.

"Yeah, I'm...I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Princesses shouldn't lie, it shows signs of bad manners.", he replied and picked her up, carrying her over to the chair. "It all seems a bit crazy to me. You're as light as a feather, you shouldn't be starving yourself to this point."

"D-Don't princesses do that where you come from?", she asked him.

He smirked. "We don't have princesses where I come from.", he told her.

"No princesses? I would love to come with you to that place.", she said and smiled weakly at him. Her stomach started growling and Jim laughed at the sound.

"It's about time you eat something."

He prepared a big portion of soup in a bowl and added a little salt. "Okay, so normally my friend Ben does the cooking, but I like to think I manage..."

She grabbed the spoon and started on her food. "It's delicious!", she gasped and smiled at him with a little soup moustache above her upper lip. He grinned back and sat down next to her. He watched her eat and sighed on the inside. Didn't she realize what a striking beauty she was?

After she finished, she had trouble keeping her eyes open.

"Full?", he asked her.

She made a tiny burping sound and then giggled and nodded sleepily. Jim turned to wash off the dishes and five minutes later, when he was done, he found the princess had gone to sleep on the table. He chuckled warmly and picked her up carefully.

The castle was completely silent, there was not one voice, not one footstep, not even a window cracking. Jim crept across the ballroom and up the stairs. He knew her room had to be somewhere around her and he found it soon. Gently, he lay her down on her bed and covered her up, trying his best not to look below her chin.

He stayed and looked at her a bit longer. Then he noticed the locket she was wearing.

'No, Jim, you shouldn't! Then again...', he thought. 'I'm on a mission here, this could be helpful.' He bent down and slowly removed the locket from around her neck and opened it carefully. Suddenly a soft melody started playing and Jim stared at what was inside. Inside a large bubble was a kingdom, a castle, made out of gold from head to toe. But the most peculiar thing about this sea-shell formed locket in his hands were the things swimming around the castle. Humans...with fishtails. Merpeople. The legends of old books he used to read. Not ever sighted on any planet.

He stared at the locket. Why did she have this? Maybe she found it? Suddenly he noticed the name engraved on it. "Melody". Jim looked down at the sleeping girl. Her long black hair fell around her pale and beautiful face and down over her shoulders. She looked so peaceful.

After a bit more time, Jim closed the locket and hung it over her neck again. He tore his gaze away from her and left the room. He headed back to the ship and fell asleep the minute he reached his hammock. But before closing his eyes he decided something. He wasn't going to report any of this. Just in case.


	7. Chapter 7

_Okay, dudes, first off: I'm sorry this took so long, I wrote it ages ago and I wanted to make sure enough people were reading this and now I've got all these reviews and shit, so here you go! I also got caught up on school, got some serious problems there, on tumblr, cause I suffered some hardships when the roleplay I was in closed down, that was tough for me, but I'm better now and also I'm in hospital right now and it totally sucks. I mean like, REALLY sucks. I mean the kind you sometimes lie in bed and cry yourself to sleep kind of sucks. Anyway, thanks for your support, JiMel all the way, even after that shit I went through on tumblr, I will never stop shipping Jelody! Love you :*  
_

* * *

**Chapter 7**

The next morning Melody woke up quite early and was still extremely tired. Katelyn asked her how long she had been up yesterday, to which Melody shrugged and said: "I went to bed after the last guest left." She was excited about breakfast and was already looking forward to it when she was getting dressed.

* * *

After a little "pep talk" from the captain, Jim walked back to the castle with Daniel, looking at the ground while Danny spoke.

"This is the most fascinating thing I have ever done! They look exactly like us! It's like we never left the planet! And did you see them dancing yesterday? They were so much like us, weren't they? Apart from the stuck up part. I was smiling the whole evening and didn't get one smile back. But I wasn't the only one smiling the entire evening. The princess was pretty stunning, wasn't she?"

Jim's head snapped up. "You saw her too?"

"Well, she was pretty hard to miss!", he laughed. "Her dress looked good on her too...pretty revealing too..."

Jim raised his eyebrows at him. "You have no idea, my friend.", he replied, remembering Melody in her nightgown...

"Why? Did I miss something?", Daniel asked him.

"Nope. Nothing much.", Jim answered, grinning cheekily and thinking back to how close they had been yesterday...

"Oh my God, tell me! Did you see her change or something?!", Danny cried.

Jim grinned and shook his head, determined to keep his mouth shut.

"You did, didn't you?! You saw the princess-"

"Ssshh!", Jim hissed. "Keep it down, mate!" He jerked his head towards the guards all around the entrance they were heading to and Danny fell silent, but continued to smirk at Jim.

As soon as Jim entered the kitchen he saw the chef and the servants scurrying around, preparing breakfast. He grinned at all the fuss they were making. His breakfast was usually a plum or two, if he even had breakfast at all and that was it. 'That's royalty for you!', he thought.

* * *

Melody had showered, combed her hair dry and gotten dressed and was now heading downstairs. She took her seat and said Good Morning to her parents.

Ariel couldn't help but notice in what a good mood she seemed to be and wondered if maybe she had fallen for one of the men at the ball yesterday...

* * *

Jim was helping to prepare the food, when suddenly he heard the chef curse: "By all means, they forgot the napkins! Hawkins, get them out there!"

He grabbed the trey with the water and the napkins and exited the kitchen. The servants were already on their way back and looked at him with raised eyebrows while Jim ignored them. He pushed open the dining room doors.

"Good Morning, your majesties, I hope you slept well, don't mind me, just bringing the napkins!", he declared, grinning and set the trey down on the table.

Melody's heart beat a bit faster when he stood only about a meter away and she felt warm and cold at the same time. However, a cold shudder went through her body when she noticed he wasn't taking one look at her. Why was he ignoring her? It made her sad and her smile faded when he exited the room again.

She ate her breakfast up. Jim did not reappear after that. After she was done, she stood up and asked if she could be excused. Her mother nodded and smiled.

Melody hid in the hallway and waited until both her parents had gone off to take care of their duties. When she saw them leave, she got out of her hiding place and snuck to the kitchen. She looked inside, but it was empty. She squinted her eyes, trying to see in the corners...

"Boo!"

Melody jumped and flung around, only to see Jim standing there, grinning down at her.

"Looking for me, Melody?"

She opened her mouth, but no words came out. He had called her Melody for the first time...

"What's the matter? Should I call you your majesty after all? Or did I startle you? You're not going to faint again, are you?", he asked, still smirking.

Melody snapped out of it and giggled. "No, I'm not. My heart just stopped for a second."

He chuckled at her. "Soooo, I reckon you were looking for me? How sweet of you."

She blushed just a tiny bit and hoped he wouldn't notice. "I just wanted to ask why you didn't talk to me earlier..." The moment she had said it, the moment she realized how silly it sounded.

He looked puzzled. "Well, I could hardly start a conversation with you in front of your parents while you're eating..."

"Why not?", she asked him.

"Oh, come on, I think you know the answer to that!", he said and chuckled.

She did. But she hated it and she didn't want to say out aloud.

Jim looked at the girl in front of him. If he looked into her eyes for longer than three seconds, he was sure he would get lost in them forever. She certainly was a rare beauty and looked ravishing once again, with her long black hair and light blue dress...

Suddenly they heard footsteps at the end of the hallway, coming closer. Jim grabbed Melody's hand and pulled her away silently. There were hardly any doors at this particular part and the footsteps would turn around and the corner soon. As soon as Jim spotted the next door, he pulled it open and they hid inside. It was a broom cupboard.

They stood silent for a few minutes, until they heard the person pass them. After a few more seconds, when the footsteps were out of earshot, Melody started giggling. It was quite a tight space and Jim was pushed up against her. He tried to back up, when suddenly he trod on something and one of the broom's came tumbling down on his head.

"Ow! Damn!"

Melody could hardly stop giggling, until she had tears in her eyes. He pushed open the door and practically fell out onto the floor. By then, Melody was laughing so hard she had to join him, falling to her knees, holding her stomach.

He joined in and they both sat there laughing for a while, until Jim got up and pulled her to her feet. "I should be working, you know.."

"Oh, come on, we're not eating or anything, the cook had nothing to do! No dishes to wash, no stupid treys to carry, no blades to polish...", she cried and then tugged at his arm. "Come on, Jim, have some fun with me!"

"You remind me very much of a little girl I used to know on my home pla- homeland."

"Oh, shush!", she said, chuckling at his comparing her with children. "Let's go to the beach!"

"The beach?"

"Yes, the beach. Don't tell my parents though, I'm actually not allowed there, it's my punishment."

"Punishment? Punishment for what?"

"For misbehaving on one of the balls."

"You? Misbehaving on a ball? It looked like you loved balls yesterday..."

"Well, in that case you don't know me at all, Jim Hawkins.", she said and smirked. "I hate those stupid festivals! It's just people lying to each other the whole evening, dancing until their feet are sore and drinking until they can halfway stand the people around them."

Jim stared at the princess. She wasn't like he thought she would be, not in the least. In a good way, that is. "So that's what that was on your face."

"What do you mean?", she asked, looking puzzled.

"Behind the pretty smile...I thought I saw something more. Like you were sad or upset..."

She frowned. "How could you possibly have seen that?"

He shrugged. "I don't know, I suppose I'm just a good observer..."

Melody smiled weakly, she didn't know why. She grabbed his hand. "Come on then, let's go!", she cried and pulled him along through the hallway, feeling strangely happy.

They sneaked out through the back door and through the garden. They went around the castle a bit, to make sure they weren't spotted. As soon as Melody felt the sand under her feet, she kicked off her stupid tight shoes and ran through the sand barefoot, laughing. She kicked up the sand and it rained down on her as she spun around to look at Jim.

For Jim, that very moment went in slow motion. Her long hair flew through the air as the sand fell from above and she laughed, looking straight into his eyes. He had never experienced anything like it before.

She walked towards him, smiling. "Will you go into the water with me?", she asked him.

He smiled. "I see why your parents picked this punishment now." Then he picked her up, ran into the water and threw her in. She squealed and resurfaced after only two seconds. She swooped out of the water gracefully, throwing back her long wet hair and gasping, her eyes closed. It was an overwhelming scene.

"My parents would be furious!", she cried and then laughed a little. Jim joined in and soon the two were both swimming and diving and splashing each other.

Jim watched Melody and soon realized what a connection she shared with the ocean. Especially when she was underwater, she looked as though she were where she was meant to be.

When their fingers were as wrinkly as they could get, Melody finally started running back to shore. Jim followed her and they ran away from the waves for a while. He watched as the princess giggled and ran alongside the crashing waves, kicking up the water every once in a while.


End file.
